Rokkaku, Tennis and Fuji
by Arysthae
Summary: There are three things in his life that Saeki Kojiroh loves the most, but one of those takes priority over the others, and it certainly isn't his schoolwork, despite his mother's despairing sighs. SaekixFuji. Rated K


**Rokkaku, Tennis and Fuji**

**AN: There is a severe lack of FujixSaeki fics. There is also a severe lack of Rokkaku Chuu fics. I found them funny as a school and really friendly and I thought it was sad that they didn't show up more often in either the manga or the anime. Or in fandom. **

**This is set in 2003, as evidenced by Fuji not having a phone, the talk about the Wimbledon finals and general lack of concern about middle-schoolers doing everything by themselves, with supervision or a way of contact. **

You close your eyes a little as the warm, evening sun beats down upon your face. Your team have just finished their intensive beach practice and your arms are sore and aching. You wish some days, that you didn't live in an area that was quite so sunny; then you remember that England exists; a beach that is perpetually freezing, and all thought of hating the sun is wiped from your memories.

Your team are chattering away, Kentaro-kun talking eagerly with Satoshi and Ryou near the front, Itsuki watching his surroundings with barely hidden curiousity, Bane beating up Davide… all very usual for Rokkaku Chuu.

You smile a little. You love Chiba and you love your school. Playing here has been your dream since being a child and actually being the Vice-Captain of this team, is something you didn't think that you would ever reach. You want nothing more than to reach the Nationals currently, and it certainly looks like it will end up being that way.

It looks like Davide will never learn. He never seems to stop cracking puns and Bane never stops hitting him for it. You suppose that their stubbornness is why you're friends with them. You think that you once used to have friends in Rokkaku outside of tennis, but tennis has been your life for so long, it's hard to make friends with people who can't understand that passion.

You shut your eyes again and navigate yourself by the familiar sounds of Chiba's cityscape. There's a commotion up ahead. You open your eyes.

Ryou looks particularly irritated. You prepare yourself for something to have disturbed the peace. "Aoi-kun just ran off somewhere, after Oji-san. I don't know where he went. I forgot he was that fast."

"Why?" asks Itsuki.

"Because he's an idiot, that why." says Ryou, rolling his eyes, as he shoulders his tennis bag.

"Why is he an idiot?" Itsuki asks again and before Ryou gets any more irritated, you step in, as a Vice Captain should.

"I think that's a question that everyone has been pondering and a question that doesn't look like it will get answered any time soon." You brush your sun-bleached hair back and smile. "In any case, we should go locate him. Who knows what trouble he'll find?"

And it's trouble that Kentaro-kun's found indeed. He seems to be in the middle of accusing a bunch of people for harassing oji-san. Personally, you think that nobody will ever be able to harass oji-san, _ever_, but you don't voice that opinion. No one seems keen to get involved and get Kentaro-kun out of the situation so you start to walk forward, just as Kentaro-kun realizes his mistake.

You start trying to apologize for Kentaro-kun's actions when a familiar face sticks out of the crowd. "Saeki?" he asks, sounding completely shocked.

He's older, taller and slimmer than before, but there's no mistaking the half-lidded gaze that just opened to reveal bright blue eyes and the soft brown hair that still holds perfectly flat, without any hairspray. It's Fuji Syuusuke alright. Your best friend from four years ago.

"Fuji." you say, still in shock. He's right there. Fuji is right there. He's so different, yet he's still…still Fuji.

"Sae-san, do you know these people?" asks Kentaro-kun, looking confused.

"They're Seigaku. Our next opponent in the tournament." You say, making sure to sound as flippant as you usually do. You mustn't show just how surprised you are to see Fuji here. How unprepared you are to see him.

Gods, but he's gotten attractive, just like Yumiko was in high school. It's an unfair gene in the Fuji family that makes them all look like models. You're sure that Yuuta-kun probably looks incredible too. You could only beg for that kind of beauty. The Saeki family doesn't exactly specialize in looks. Only sport.

Fuji seems to be explaining the same to his teammates and suddenly Kentaro-kun explodes and almost chokes the smallest member of the Seigaku team, in a powerful hug. You blink and before you can even think, Kentaro-kun's invited Seigaku back to the Rokkaku playground so that he can play a practice match against Echizen-kun. You've been hearing this hero-worship all year, so you aren't too shocked that Kentaro-kun is excited.

Still, this means that Fuji has to stay around for longer and you have to bottle up your emotions for longer. That isn't an exciting prospect.

The Seigaku team are about as shocked as you are, but quickly accept, much to your surprise, and you pause to fall in line with Fuji and his Seigaku teammates.

"You've gotten smaller." You comment, smiling a little, unable to say what you really want to.

"More like you've drunk one too many bottles of milk." retorts Fuji quickly, not even batting an eyelid.

You chuckle brightly and stick your hands into your pockets. Fuji has a way of both calming you down and making you nervous at the same time. It's rather confusing and you don't like it. You make sure your body looks calm and relaxed, but secretly, your hands and having spasms inside the safety of your warm pockets. "You might be right. My sister was always intent on making me grow taller than her."

"It's been a while," he says, again, letting the end of the phrase drift off.

"It has. Listen, I apologize for my captain. He's a little pushy at times." You say, chuckling a little.

"Captain?" asks a boy with spiky-up auburn hair, which seems to defy gravity. What is it with Fuji being surrounded by people with perfect hair?

"He's a freshman, right?" asks Fuji, smiling lightly.

"Yep." you say, popping the p.

Fuji grins, shamelessly. "Oji-san's doing it again, isn't he? I almost didn't recognize him, since he was wearing a hawaiian shirt."

You laugh, stifling a smug grin at Fuji's awful lie. It's nice that you can still do that. You didn't expect to still be able to be Fuji's lie detector.

"Oji?" asks a tall boy with almost shaven hair and wide eyes.

"Yep." you say, tilting your head sideways. "He's our coach."

The boy's eyes widen and Fuji smiles. "I haven't introduced you, Saeki. This is Oishi, our substitute captain."

"Nice to meet you." you say, extending a hand nonchalantly backwards. "My name's Saeki. I'm vice-captain."

"Nice to meet you," says Oishi, a warm smile extending on his face as he accepts the hand.

"Hey Fuji," you say, "Remember that match a couple years back? This match won't be like that. I'll beat you for sure. I'm vice-captain now, after all." You say, with a wink.

Fuji laughs. "Sure you will, Saeki." he says, tossing his hair a little as he turns around to look at Oishi. "He's a childhood friend." he clarifies and Oishi nods.

"Vice-Captain, huh? That's pretty good." said the boy with gravity-defying hair.

"Captain, Vice-Captain, it doesn't really matter to us, actually." you say, shrugging your shoulders, "When picking the Vice Captain, Oji-san just went—" You trail off and turn around and point at the place you were just at.

"Urgh." You grunt, in an imitation of the sensei and then you point at yourself and imitate shock.

Everybody in the group laughs at your mime and you grin easily. "Really?" asks the one with black spiky hair, looking surprised.

"Frightening really. Rokkaku Chuu…" says the one with thick glasses and you smirk a little. It's rather nice to be called scary for once. You've always been 'nice' or 'funny'

"It doesn't really matter, who is captain or vice-captain, really." You say, smiling, "All that matters is the team spirit and winning."

"An admirable sentiment, Saeki." says Fuji, smirking a little.

"One I do remember that Yumiko-san liked to use." You say, extending your arm over his shoulder before messing up his hair.

"Get off, Saeki. Kojiroh. Koji. Koji-kun. Koji-chan, get off." he protests as you ruffle his hair. You can't stand to see it looking perfect.

"I've been waiting to do that for four years," you say, as he finally throws you off. "You were always taller than me as a child."

He scowls as he redoes his hair and you laugh outright.

"We're here," you say, as they arrive at the workshop. The Seigaku team look pretty confused, so you explain. "This is oji-sensei's workshop. He used to make wooden rackets here, as a hobby." You walk around the building, so they can see the real masterpiece. "Before you knew it, his hobby turned into this."

You turn around so you can look at their faces. Mostly, at the sight of the huge playground, they look shocked or confused. But Fuji looks reminiscently happy and the boy with gravity-defying hair looks ecstatic.

"This looks like fun!" he murmurs and you grin. You're interested in what the gravity-defying hair boy will do.

The children flock around Davide and Bane. You used to feel jealous in the past, but you know that children will flock to flashy things, and those who were steadily amazing were left behind. Facts of life. You had gotten used to it.

"This place is amazing." said the boy with black spiky hair.

"Isn't it just?" remarked Fuji. "You know, Oji-san built this all by himself."

"No way!" said the boy and Fuji merely smirked.

"It looks like it's gotten even bigger since when we were kids, Koji-kun." he says, smiling a little, as he leans back on a climbing frame.

You're about to respond, but the black-haired boy looks slightly confused so you explain again. "This place is open for the neighbourhood children." you say, leaning on it also, "While they play here, they learn how to play tennis by watching or by asking. Since the Rokkaku courts are right here, the children grow up with an interest in tennis. It's how we started, right Fuji?"

"Hmm." he answers, looking at the children now using Bane as a seesaw. "In a few years, those children will grow up to be Rokkaku's tennis team."

You lean back as his friends drift away to look at other things. "Syuusuke." you say, finally venturing to return to the friendship they had as children. Fuji had already returned to using his nickname for you, but you were always more cautious and less willing to extend and be friends. It's why Fuji's always been more popular than you, with other people. You want to say something sentimental and serious, but you can't think of anything, so you go with what you know. "You look more like a girl than ever."

Fuji doesn't rise to the teasing taunt. "If it means that I'm closer to looking anything like Onee-chan, I'll be happy."

"Of course." You return, "If your hair was as long as it was when we were kids, you and Yumiko-san could probably pass off as carbon copies."

Fuji chuckles and leans back to watch the gravity-defying boy. In every way. You didn't think that acrobatics like that was even possible. "Who is he?" you ask

"Kikumaru Eiji. He's one of the Golden Pair, the acrobatic specialist. You've probably heard of them." says Fuji, smiling.

Oh yes, you've definitely heard of the Golden Pair. Who hasn't? They stormed the Nationals scene last year, in the doubles category. They only just lost out to the Marui/Jackal pair from Rikkaidai. You just didn't know that they were from Seigaku.

"His partner in crime is Oishi, who you met earlier." says Fuji, smiling.

"He's quite something." You say, as Kikumaru somersaults his way off the high monkey-ropes.

"So's the other boy. Who is he?" asks Fuji, as Itsuki ran after Kikumaru, asking questions the whole way.

"That's Itsuki." you say. Fuji doesn't look like he's too bothered, as he watches Kikumaru be driven entirely insane by Itsuki. You have to admit, it's nice to not be on the receiving end of Itsuki's questions, for once. You like the boy; you kind of have to, as he's your doubles partner, but the never-ending curiousity is easy to be frustrated by.

"The match's starting!" yell the children from near the courts and you sigh. You kind of want to talk to Fuji privately for a little longer, but you both slink over to the courts.

By the time you arrive, they've already started, and it's already shaping up to be an interesting match. Kentaro-kun's already controlling the shots and where they land.

Fuji frowns, his eyes still hidden. "How is this for fun?"

"It is fun. For Kentaro-kun, at least." You explain, at his look. "We've all heard the rumours about Ryoma Echizen. Three Junior US Opens, right? The incredible freshmen who was shaking up the middle school tennis scene in a good way. But, then, our freshman's pretty good, too, isn't he?"

"Hmm." said Fuji, and it almost looked like he was pouting. "His control isn't the only good thing about him, is it?" he asks and you nod.

"You could say that."

Fuji frowns and you smirk a little. It's a chance to show off, for once_. Rokkaku's better than Seigaku. You should have come to Rokkaku_. You know it's childish really; it was hardly Fuji's fault that his family had to move all the way to Tokyo, but you hate that your best friend, who knew everything about you and vice versa, had just vanished like that.

"We started focusing on Kentaro-kun after he defeated Amane, the Hyotei Hundred-Killer." you say and Fuji's eyes open.

"Hyotei Hundred-Killer?" he asks, sounding dangerous.

"You mean the one with the really long racket?" asks glasses guy.

"You know your stuff." You say, impressed. You didn't expect him to know exactly who he was talking about, immediately. Perhaps, Rokkaku were more famous than they believed.

"What he achieved amongst Hyotei's strongest players…Word gets around." he says, as he focuses back onto the match.

"It wasn't really the strongest," You mutter to Fuji, "He didn't play any actual regulars, other than Hiyoshi Wakato. If he'd played Atobe, he would have lost. Still, I wonder who Davide will play against in the Seigaku lineup."

Fuji's eyes meet yours and they're almost transparent with the challenge. "But that isn't my point. Davide isn't our Captain. Kentaro-kun is. And I don't know how other teams feel, but Kentaro's spirit and Kentaro's skill might just be the thing that clinches whether we win or not." You finish.

Fuji's eyes finally close. "So's Ryoma Echizen." he says, smiling, "He's the one that Tezuka beleieved in, after all."

"Tezuka?" You stutter. You've heard of Tezuka as well; the nationally ranked player with the Zero-Shiki Drop Shot and the renowned Tezuka Zone. He trusted this freshman. He _trusted_ this freshman! Wow. No, that isn't _really_ what's bothering you.

The implication that Fuji had just made, was that Tezuka had trusted Echizen over Fuji. Which meant that Echizen was either better, or had as much potential as Fuji did. That…that was scary. Fuji…Fuji was a tensai, a prodigy. How much better was Echizen?

"He won't go down without a fight." said Fuji, smirking. It's your turn to frown now, as you turn back to the game.

Kentaro-kun's shouting something about Singles Three and meeting Echizen there. You sigh. They've probably already got their schedule for who's playing, sorted. It's just like Kentaro-kun to screw over Seigaku's order. You'll apologize later.

The game ends with Kentaro-kun's win and the two shake hands, though Echizen looks very reluctant.

You realize that this means that Fuji's leaving. You turn around, almost panicky, just to drink in the last of his face. His hair, his clothes, his smell. It might be the last time you see each other relaxed and calm until the Kanto Semi-Finals. You might never see Fuji again, he might disappear like he did befo—

Then you realize that you live in the age of Technology and that you're an idiot. You reach for your pocket and pull out a blue flip-phone. "I have so much more left to catch up on, and so much more to say. So give me your phone and I'll plug my number in. You do the same with mine, and we can meet up sometime soon. Maybe even next weekend." You chatter a little, feeling more than slightly nervous.

Fuji suddenly grins sheepishly and scratches the back of his head. "I'm sorry Koji-kun. I don't have a phone."

You pause. "Why not? Doesn't everybody nowadays? It's not like Yumiko-san to pass up buying you new stuff."

"Yuuta has one, but I don't. You remember last year was when everybody got into that craze? I was going to get one, but so many fangirls wanted my phone number, and I knew it would just be a hassle to have to answer it all the time, just to turn down dates, so I never got around to buying one." he explains, looking apologetic. "Sorry Koji-kun. I'll plug my house number in, and you call the house sometime in the evening. After six will be when I'm home." he said, as he took your phone.

You frown a little. "I did that already." You mutter, but he doesn't seem to hear you.

"Okay, Koji-kun." he says, as everyone prepares to leave. "I'll see you around."

You bite your lip for an instant, then sigh. Here goes your casual demeanour. Tossed out the window for Fuji. Che. You immediately hug him tightly, ignoring the looks of shock and amusement from his teammates. "Stay safe." you say, and the hidden message is, 'Don't go away'. He stiffens slightly before hugging you back.

"Don't worry, I have no plans on dying. I want to play a match with you before that happens." he teases as he lets go, a little slower than your usual hugs.

"Don't joke about that, Fuji!" You scold and he chuckles.

"You'll miss my attractive face that much?" he asks, teasingly.

You know that's it's meant as a joke and you're supposed to a respond like a normal guy would. Still, you can't help but say, "Yes."

Fuji's face straightens from its teasing grin and his eyes cautiously open again. His head tilts to the side as if expecting something. When nothing happens, he nods. "I'll see you around, Saeki." he says, turning away, to hurry after his own teammates, who were waiting at the workshop.

You wave after him before sighing. Damn him. Why did he always manage to drive you utterly insane? Oh that's right, he's Fuji.

"You two seemed to be getting on well." Davide comments, as he slinks up to your side.

"Yeah, for a Seigaku person, he knew an awful lot about Rokkaku." says Bane.

You frown. "Of course he knew about Rokkaku. It was Fuji! You know, Fuji Syuusuke? The person who used to live here? The person we used to play tag with all the time? That Fuji?"

"Yeah, we knew it was Fuji." said Bane, rolling his eyes. "We aren't stupid, Sae."

"Then you should have come and said hi properly. It would have been like a reunion." you say, feeling a little annoyed.

"You were the one who knew him the best. He was just another kid who played around here, to most of us." says Bane, leaning down on his rackets.

"You knew the best, the best. Which best did you really know?" quips Davide, snorting a little at his own joke.

You roll your eyes. It's not even funny like most of Davide's bad jokes are. Still, it doesn't stop Bane from kicking him in the back. You stifle a smirk. You really do find them very humourous. It's just, unlike with Fuji; you never really get to join in with the joke, except as the voice of reason. And you like laughing with other people and making other people laugh.

"Anyway, we're going to practice for a little bit longer, Sae. Are you coming?" asks Davide, as he recovers from being thrown to the ground.

"No, I'm feeling really tired. Itsuki's shots have gotten stronger. Returning them for four hours straight is more difficult than it seems." you say, pulling a face.

Besides, you want to try and get home in time to catch both Mum and Dad. They'll be delighted to hear that the Fujis are all well and that Syuusuke was still well and still as thin as ever. Maybe, if your sister would actually pick up her phone this time, you'd tell her that Yumiko-san was still around in Tokyo and that her old childhood friend was closer than you've all thought. If you felt generous.

"See you tomorrow Saeki! Bright and early, remember? Kentaro-kun somehow thinks that early morning practice will make us better at this." said Bane, pulling a face.

"Whose turn is it to get Ryou to wake up?" you ask.

"Bane's, I think." said Davide and Bane groaned.

"Don't remind me. I'll have to wake up twenty minutes more just to make sure that Ryou's presentable." he complains and you laugh.

"Don't be a wimp." You say, "Vice-Captain's orders." And with that, you head off.

(X)

It's late Saturday morning, when you finally head out to see Fuji again. You wave goodbye to your mother who looks worried and you shoulder your tennis bag over your shoulder. To be honest, you don't really want to know the winner between the two of you when you're playing against each other. You're still hoping that Fuji will agree to a doubles match at a street court that he knows, exists in the main city.

It's weird, you muse, as you take the train to Tokyo, you've never seen a single street tennis court in Chiba, but the moment you came to Tokyo, you see these things everywhere. You hope that that this isn't the reason that Fuji's parents decided to move. Rokkaku had a normal tennis court that anyone was allowed to borrow. They hadn't needed to move to the city with street tennis courts everywhere.

…Okay, so you were definitely being childish about this, but Fuji had been your best friend. You missed him. Four years without him wasn't fun. In the slightest.

You finally arrive at the cafe that Fuji mentioned and despite you being a little early, Fuji's already there, leaning against the window, playing around with a large camera and a few rolls of film. You walk up to him and grin.

"Hey Syuu-kun." You say, remembering the nicknames you used to give each other to try and make the other crack up with laughter or anger.

"Hey Koji-kun." he said, smiling angelically as he looked up through a curtain of hair.

Damn. What had Fuji been doing before this meeting, anyway? He was wearing a thin shirt that left nothing about his upper physique to the imagination and tight jeans. There was also a fedora perched on the table and he was wearing a loose, plaid jacket rolled up to his sleeves. "You look like you walked out from a Visual Kei magazine, Syuu-kun." You comment, as you tuck your rackets under the table and grab the spare menu.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Koji-chan." he says, placidly.

"What were you doing before I showed up here, anyway?" You ask, wondering whether that was Fuji's regular clothing attire nowadays or whether he'd been doing something important before this.

"Nothing, really. Just taking a couple of photos here and there. I'd recommend pearl-tea, it's very good here." he says, absently. Wow. He looks like a model naturally and dresses like it too. No wonder he had so many fangirls.

…You're not exactly thinking much like a best friend here, Saeki. Calm down. It's Fuji. Just Fuji.

"Is it?" you ask, as you peruse the meals. It was a typical Italian bistro style, a café style that was becoming more and more common in Japan, as of late.

"Hmm. Smile, won't you?" he asks, as he brings the camera up to his face. You grin easily and give thumbs up to the camera. He laughs a little as you pull a weird face and takes a picture of that too.

"How's Yuuta-kun doing, recently? I was surprised to not see him with your team. I would have thought he'd make it into the regulars for Seigaku. Unless, all of your other players are actually better than him?" You ask, as you decide on black bean soup and some French bread.

Fuji's face falls a little, and his eyes open a tad. "He doesn't go to Seigaku. Not since his first year. He moved to St. Rudolph's, a year and a half ago. He doesn't even come home anymore, unless Yumiko's cooking. I have to beg him to come home from their dorms, all the time, for him to even _consider_ it."

You blink. "What?" You didn't think that Yuuta-kun would have hurt Fuji like that. It didn't sound like the Yuuta that you had known. Yuuta and Fuji had been the best family ever. You'd been jealous of them as a kid, especially since your own sister hadn't really cared about you, and preferred her friends and Yumiko-san's company.

Fuji smiles sadly. "He felt overshadowed by the 'prodigy'. I don't blame him. He found himself there. It's just…"

"It hurts, right? To have someone run away from the love that you're trying to shower upon them." You finish, bitterly. At his quizzical look, you grimace a little. "Taya-nee-chan went to university in Osaka of all places, and then escaped to Europe without a second thought, to play ice hockey. She doesn't call, she won't pick up when I call and I find out all of the stuff she's been doing from her team's website and the news, rather than from her. Not even Okaa-san and Otou-san are getting anything from her."

Fuji frowns and you both fall into a silence. "You know," You start, "It hurt like this when you moved away and didn't respond to any of my letters. And then the phone address you gave me didn't connect. Ever."

"Letters?" asks Fuji, looking confused. "As in plural?"

"Yes." you say, growling a little, "Thirty-nine, if I remember correctly. I gave up after that point."

Fuji's eyes open and he looks angry. "I only ever got one. I sent a reply to that, but you never did. I assumed that you didn't want to talk to me now that I was in Tokyo and I gave up."

"I never got a reply to the letters I sent." You say and you both stare at each other, across the table.

"The post…?" Fuji asks and you shake your head.

"Can't be. They aren't that incompetent, are they?"

"Saa." he says, his eyes closing, and you feel your face crack into a smirk. It's such a familiar gesture.

"I missed you so much. Every day, I kept thinking, if Fuji were here, he'd say this or do this." You admit, looking downwards.

"Really?" asks Fuji. "I didn't do that, but my diary was basically, letters to you."

You smirk a little. "Can I read them?"

Fuji shrugs. "Doubt they'd be too interesting. Especially since they were from year one and two without you. From then on, I stopped writing in a diary. Too much tennis to get done after that."

"I'd be curious to see that, actually. I mean, just to check if you did actually miss me." You say, winking easily.

"And read all of my deepest, darkest secrets along with it?" asked Fuji, as he leant forward, his smile mischievously cocky.

"This is the part where I say 'There are some things in this world that I don't need to know' in a mysterious tone, right?" you ask, also leaning forward a little.

Fuji doesn't say anything, but he's got a huge smirk on his face, like that of a cat who got the cream. You don't like it. You might be friends with him, but it doesn't mean you need to fulfill his every whim. "Well I'm not going to say that." you say and Fuji's smirk falls off his face instantaneously.

"You really want to read my most private and inner thoughts?" he asked, leaning forward and almost close to your face.

"I don't see why that wouldn't be amusing and/or hilarious." You say, putting your face right up against his, until you're nose to nose with him.

"Ahem, excuse me? Do you want to order?" asked the waitress, looking mortified. You don't pull away instantly, but take your time to lean back, staring Fuji down, before turning to the waitress.

"Yes, I apologize for keeping you waiting." purrs Fuji and the waitress blushes slightly. Oh, it's on. You turn to the waitress and make a funny comment which makes her giggle nervously and turn a shade deeper of red.

It takes a while, but finally, her face is the colour of the sofa he's sitting on and they've placed all of their orders. The waitress flees immediately and the two of them wait until before she's inside the kitchen to burst out laughing.

"Did you see her face when she came to take the order?" chokes out Fuji, in between laughs.

"I think her face turned purple at one point!" you say and it sets you both off again. It isn't exactly the funniest joke to play or the nicest, but you and Fuji don't really think that nice should be reserved for anything other than appearances. "How old do you think she thought that we were?"

"Eighteen, nineteen probably." Fuji replies, absently. "Girls don't flush when people their age flirt with them, I've noticed."

"Why, because you've tried?" you ask, feeling a mixture of amused and annoyed.

"An experiment one day. Inui tried it too. Didn't work so well for him." Fuji says, looking amused. You resist the urge to snort.

"Which one's Inui?" you ask, "The one with glasses, right? Data tennis?" you ask. You've done your research, even if you couldn't find any pictures.

"Hmm, that's right. I think Eiji tried to flirt as well, but no one took him seriously, since he's so affectionate on a daily basis, they couldn't tell the difference between his flirting and his normal self." says Fuji, smirking a little and this time, you chuckle. You can see that happening to the gravity-defying boy pretty easily.

"You're pretty close with your teammates, aren't you?" you ask, making sure that your voice is controlled and not jealous in the slightest. You aren't sure whether you succeeded.

"Of course. Aren't you?" he asks, tilting his head sideways.

"Not as close as I could be." You admit, after a pause. And it's the truth; he could be best friends with anybody there. He just…isn't. "It's harder for me than it is for you."

"Is it really?" he asks and you frown.

"Of course it is, Syuu-kun. All you have to do to make friends is smile and say a few words and they flock to you like bees to honey. It requires charisma, something I don't really hold. I'm not flashy, I'm not overtly skilled. I don't have many friends. It's a fact of life." You say. It's something you're well aware of now. It's nothing you can change so easily and it's something you're now resigned to being.

"Don't be stupid, Koji-kun." says Fuji, frowning, as his eyes open, "You're charismatic. You're the one who made me friendly. Remember when we first met?"

"When you bit me? Oh yeah, my mother loves telling that story." You say, smirking a little.

"Yeah, that was how I acted around everybody that wasn't family. But you…you made me so much friendlier and you made me happier too. You're still my best friend Saeki, and I don't know why you haven't made other friends at Rokkaku!" he finishes, looking confused.

You look away. You don't remember your childhood like that, but apparently, Fuji does. You don't answer, because you know the answer is too embarrassing to even think about voicing aloud. Because you think you left that part of your heart with Fuji, without even realizing it.

"Anyway, what's with the rackets? I thought we were meeting for lunch?" asks Fuji, looking amused. "Do you really want to play against me?"

"No," You say, laughing, "I'm not that much of an idiot. We'll save that showdown for the semi-finals. I just wondered if you wanted to go dominate the street courts as a doubles pair."

Fuji smiles. "You think we'd be good? I mean, I haven't seen you play tennis in four years."

"We know each other like the back of our hands, Syuu-kun." You say. At least, you know him like the back of your hand. You don't know about his own attachment to you. "It doesn't matter about the styles we have, we know what sort of thing the other person will do. Anyway, I know about your Triple Counters and you should probably know that I'm usually the game-maker when it comes to our doubles."

Fuji tilts his head sideways and grins. "Okay then. Do you mind if we pop back to my house after the food? I left my rackets there."

You grin. "Sure thing, Syuu-kun."

(X)

"Are your parents home or is it Yumiko-san?" You ask, as you heft your bag over your shoulder again, sticking your hands in your pockets. It's a warm day, but your hands are freezing for some reason.

"Just aneki at the moment, but she'll probably be shopping, so the house will be empty." Fuji says, stopping to take a picture of a little girl running after a few bubbles from her mother's bubble bottle. You patiently wait for him.

While Fuji hadn't been a photographer when you knew him, you were happy to indulge in his whims. You had all day, after all. Your return ticket back to Chiba was scheduled at 9pm and you weren't expected home until ten, as it was the weekend. And, being Vice-Captain, you'd manage to convince Kentaro-kun that a little break from tennis for one day wouldn't hurt anyone. Bane and Davide had gone to the beach, but you were happier here, with Fuji.

"Sorry for that, Koji," he says affectionately, without the usual honourific, as he caps the camera. "But inspiration doesn't always come that easily. Nor do willing models."

You laugh and lean back, stretching out your arms with a yawn. "Don't worry." You say, "I don't mind."

He snaps a photo of you yawning and you roll your eyes. "Not particularly inspirational, is it Syuu-kun? Me yawning?"

"It's for the funny album. Currently, that consists of you and Eiji." he says and you roll your eyes.

"I would think that you could find more amusing models in Itsuki and Davide. Or perhaps Tezuka?" you ask, teasingly.

"It would be easier to make a wall look funny than make him do anything remotely amusing." moans Fuji mockingly and you both chuckle, amusedly. You definitely don't have the sort of humour that other people would laugh at, but that's Fuji's fault. Fuji influenced you to be like this, and you don't regret it in the slightest.

"Here," Fuji said, as they arrived at a neat house, painted blue, not looking Japanese in the slightest. It has a small garden that's well-kept and Fuji opens the definitely-not-sliding-door with a key. "Here, feel free to look around, Koji. I'll just get changed a second, I doubt playing tennis in this would be too comfortable."

You laugh a little and wander round. There are a few gorgeous photos framed on the hallways and living room walls and you admire Fuji's talent. You didn't think that he was that good. Then you remember that he's known as a tensai for a reason and smile a little ruefully.

There are a couple of paintings that are pretty good too, labeled neatly with the words 'Fuji Yuuta'. There are little touches of the family, such as Fuji apples in the fruit bowl in the kitchen(Fuji's little obsession), a tonne of well-hidden spirit wards all over the place (Yumiko-san's doing) and unsurprisingly, a post-it note attached to some pie recipes, in Fuji's neat kanji, proclaiming that Yumiko's pies were the best(Obviously Yuuta).

You smile a little, sadly, and let out a breath. This is their home. You can't deny that. They've lived here for a while and feel comfortable. Though you may wish to rewind time, they probably won't. You sigh and lean against the wall, which is silver-blue; Yuuta's favourite colour, if you remember correctly.

"Sorry about the wait, Koji," said Fuji, running down the stairs, carrying his racket bag over his shoulder. He wore a cool grey shirt and near white shorts, similar to your own. Now you looked a bit like a doubles pair.

You grin at him a little. "No problem. Coming?"

"Sure. There's a good court near my school. Usually, a bunch of players from Fudoumine and Gyokurin are there over the weekends. We can have a couple of good games. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the Hyotei players show up." Fuji explains, as you leave the house next to him.

"Lucky?" you ask, "Isn't that bad? It means you lose, right?"

"It means you have a good game," he corrects. "And losing is optional. Mukahi and Oshitari aren't hard to beat if you throw them off-rhythm, but Ootori and Shishido are very good."

"You play doubles often?" you ask, as they approach the park. There are a lot of children running around in the green, and it's no playground, but you suppose that children can still have fun in Tokyo. Much to your annoyance.

"Yep, quite often. Usually with Taka-san or Eiji." he says, smiling. "I usually prefer Singles however. And you?"

"Usually Doubles, with Itsuki. I play singles occasionally, but I don't enjoy it as much as doubles." You admit, smiling a little, as you near the courts, "I hope you don't mind playing doubles here, Syuu-kun."

"Of course not." he said, as they reach the courts. Another group is finishing up, so you open your bag and strip down your grip tape and replace it again, with a bright blue grip, that you quite liked a week ago.

Fuji looks at it interestedly. "Mind if I borrow some, Koji?"

"Sure," You say, and as you finish wrapping it around, you chuck it to Fuji. He catches it easily with his left hand and grins. Then his eyes widen and he waves over to two boys who are making their way from the park. One has long black hair, with almost blue-ish highlights and the other has vivid red hair that covers most of his face.

"Fuji-san." they say as they walk over to you both.

"Hello Kamio-kun, Ibu-kun! Have you got opponents to play already?" asks Fuji, as he twists his racket around in his hand.

"Nope. We'll play you and…" The redhead looks at you. "And your friend."

"Oh, I'm being rude. Saeki, this is Kamio-kun, Vice-Captain at call him 'speed demon'. This is Ibu-kun, also from Fudoumine. He's also considered a natural and a tensai. Kamio, Ibu, this is Saeki, Vice-Captain of Rokkaku." Fuji introduces with a smile on his face. You smile warmly at the two players.

"It's nice to meet you both," You say, "Let's play a good match."

"Nice to meet you." Kamio says, brusquely and Ibu nods but looks somewhat sullen.

"It's nice to meet him, but his hair's rather odd, after all, it looks about as natural as Kamio's. I wonder if he's a good player. Well, he must be if he comes from Rokkaku, but I wonder nonetheless. And I wish Fuji-san hadn't said tensai, it makes me sound like I match up to him when I was beaten by Echizen at one point, which I find rather shameful. I wonder if Fuji-san and Saeki-san are good at Doubles. I'd hate to play them if they are as good at Doubles as they are at Singles, because that means we lose again, and I'm rather fed up of losing."

You pause a little. That was like listening to a river overflow. Slowly but surely, it would drown you.

"Okay then, Ibu-kun," says Fuji, seemingly ignoring the outburst, "Rough or smooth?"

"Smooth." says Kamio, as Ibu takes a deep breath. You sigh in relief at the red-head's intervention; drowning once in that stream of words was more than enough for you.

Fuji spins and luck is on your side. It's rough. You send a meaningful look to Fuji who tilts his head to the side. "We'll hand over the serve to you. But we want to start on the ad side." You say, interpreting Fuji's look deftly. By his smile, you were correct. The wind is strong today to the south. If things get tricky, then Hakugei might make an appearance.

Fuji smiles angelically and you roll your eyes at him. "Are they good players, Syuu-kun?"

"Saa." he says, as he rolled out his shoulders.

"Don't you saa me, Fuji Syuusuke!" you snap before sighing. It wasn't like you to panic over a game, but you don't want to seem useless in front of Fuji. You want to show Fuji just how much you've improved since you were both children. "We haven't played doubles since we were 10, Fuji! I might still be able to read your mind, but we don't know each other's tennis that well! I'm a gamemaker, Fuji, give me something to work with!"

Fuji's face straightens a little. "I'll take the back, you take the front. Ibu-kun's serves are twist serves with a little less power, so I'll deal with that. You try and psych out Kamio-kun by the net, I've heard that you're pretty good at that. He's fast, but only when he can keep a steady pace. Ibu's a little more tricky, since he like to vary his shots a lot, but we can get to that."

You nod and smirk a little at the red-head. You weren't planning on losing. Not like this. Not now.

(X)

"That was the most exhausting three game match ever." you gasp out, as you clutch your knees. Kamio was easy to read, but his movements were so fluid and fast that keeping up with him had taken all of your stamina, built from long days in sweltering heat, practicing swings and running with Bane. You couldn't imagine having to play an entire set against Kamio and Ibu.

"It was a good match, though," said Kamio, looking equally exhausted and irritated, as he reached a hand out to shake. You take it and smile rakishly.

"Don't get irritated, Kamio-kun. I doubt we would have won, if this had been a proper set. I hope that Rokakku Chuu doesn't have to face Fudoumine in the Nationals." You say, very sincerely. If they do, you hope that you will not have to play this particular pairing. You'd like to stick Bane and Davide with this duo.

Ibu and Fuji are shaking hands at the other side of the court and you grin at Fuji, who smiles back. He's panting a little too, but he's not nearly as exhausted as you. Ttch. He'd taken the baseline position on purpose.

"Come on, Koji," he said, "Let's get some juice."

You roll your eyes good-naturedly before packing your racket back up in your bag. It's almost four and you doubt your ability to play any longer, with exhaustion seeping into your bones like this. It was all very well practicing, but it was no good tiring yourself out a week before the match. Then the real thing wouldn't go well.

"Saeki…" he asks, as they walk in silence to the vending machines. He isn't using any of the childish nicknames you had for each other. This is serious.

"What is it, Fuji?" you ask, responding in kind, with the dropping of the nicknames. He looks guilty.

"Saeki…do you want to play singles against me in the match? Are we really rivals?" he asks, looking nervous, for what might be the first time.

"I…I…no. I don't. I don't want to know how much better you've gotten. I don't want to pit my all against you, because then a part of me will hate you for winning; and…I can't do that, Fuji. You're still my best friend. I… don't want to know. I prefer playing doubles. Always will." You finish, feeling a little shy.

Fuji doesn't look convinced so you grip his hand tightly and squeeze, grinning. "Don't you worry! Best friends forever, remember? Tokyo tried to separate us, but look! Here we are again! The two of us, ready to take on the world!"

Fuji laughed a little and slung his arm around you. "Best friends forever, Koji." he agrees and you wish you could halt time there and then, so it's just the two of you, laughing and reveling in your victory forever.

(X)

Unfortunately, time must eventually come to an end, and the Kanto Regionals draw around. You face Fuji and Kikumaru in Doubles 1, along with Itsuki. You lose, but that was to be expected. You've never won a tennis game against Fuji. And Kikumaru was simply exceptional, recovering easily from the shock of being completely marked by your excellent vision and instincts, to use the Seal Step.

Sasuga Fuji and Kikumaru. You shake Kikumaru's hand, practically holding him up as he pants hard on the other side of the net. "It was a brilliant game. Well done." you say and Kikumaru grins and winks.

"You were great too! Che, you completely blocked me for the first four games! Next time, I'll break free faster!" said Kikumaru and you laugh.

"Next time, we won't lose." You say, and Fuji laughs.

You throw him an annoyed glare and ruffle your hair back. This is why you don't like playing Fuji. Fuji on the tennis court, is crueler than he is in real life. Even with you play with him, you can see that. You wonder, sometimes, which side of Fuji is the real one.

Then you wonder whether it matters. You are best friends forever, and you can ignore that flaw, if you must. Best friends, no matter what. That's a promise you make to yourself.

He smiles at you apologetically and you grin and give a quick two-finger salute, along with a rakish grin that melts the hearts of most girls. Fuji merely smirks and you sigh. Too much to hope for.

(X)

"Koji!" you hear the voice as you bounce the tennis ball in your hand. Fuji's finally here and he's smiling warmly, wearing his beach shorts and a tight t-shirt. You smile as you indicate the place that you saved them on the beach. It's a warm day and there are plenty of tourists around. You came out here quite early to get you both a good spot.

"Yo, Syuu-kun! Do you want to go swimming first or surfing?" you ask.

"I think surfing might be best." he says, looking amused "I think swimming with the waves in such a temper wouldn't be the best choice in the world!"

You laugh and throw your hair back. "I brought boards. Have you still got a wetsuit, or do you need to borrow one of mine?"

"I have one, but it is too small. I'm afraid that I'll have to borrow one of yours, Koji." he says, his voice soft and lilting as per usual. You know that it isn't normal to notice such things, and you're pretty sure that you're not supposed to be feeling this way towards your best friend. Still, you are and you'll have to deal with it.

"Are you feeling nervous about facing Rikkaidai in the Kanto Regional Final? I mean, it's already been delayed by a week." you ask, as you toss him your spare wetsuit and make your way over to the changing huts.

"Not really. What happens, will happen. Besides, we've been training very hard to win in that one week." said Fuji, smiling warmly.

"Shouldn't you be training today as well?" You ask, feeling a little guilty, "Did I drag you away from practice?"

"If you were," Fuji says, chidingly as you reach the huts, "I would have refused to come. Relax, Sae. It's our day of relaxation before the big day. Ryuuzaki-sensei practically locked us out of the courts."

You snicker a little, as you remember the old lady wearing the pink tracksuit. You can see that happening. You duck into the huts and quickly get changed into your wetsuit. You love everything about the beach and surfing will always be your favourite thing to do, after tennis, of course.

You get out with your clothes and see Fuji already there. 'The suit's a little big on you, Syuu-kun. I'm sorry."

"No, you're being kind enough to lend it to me. Besides, you can't help that I'm shorter than you." said Fuji, smiling warmly as you both make your way back to your stuff.

You laugh and stretch out your shoulders. "I still don't think you should take Rikkaidai so lightly, Syuu-kun. They are the reigning champions, after all. And I've heard some scary things about their doubles pairs."

Fuji grins as you both grab the boards. "I won't be playing doubles against Rikkaidai, Koji. I've got Singles 2. I only played doubles last time, because Kikumaru needed a partner and Momo was needed to combat Amane and Kurobane. The Golden Pair are back in form this time."

"Speaking of back in form, have you been watching this year's Wimbledon?" You ask, as you make it out to the water.

"No, I haven't had the time. Why, did something interesting happen?" asks Fuji as you start paddling out into the waves.

"Yeah, it did! You know Lleyton Hewitt, right? He was knocked out of the first round! And the guy who lost the French Open this year? The Swiss one, Federer? Number four seed? He's storming through Wimbledon! He beat Roddick at the semi-finals, and he's going on to face Phillippoussis in the finals, today. Talk about unexpected! No one expected that Federer would make it that far!" You exclaim, as you paddle easily through the waves.

Fuji smirks. "Sounds rather familiar, doesn't it? Let's hope that he wins. It might be a good sign for Seigaku."

You laugh, as you see a good wave coming. You crouch up on the board and take a deep breath in as it gets closer. You stand up at the last minute and get splashed over as the force is much smaller than you'd expected. Fuji snickers and you roll your eyes. "It's been a while since I've been surfing. Tennis and Volleyball have been my life for the past two years."

"Watch and learn, Sae." says Fuji, as you both see a flicker of a wave coming in your direction. It looked even smaller than your one had been and you roll your eyes, but wait nonetheless. Somehow, his tensai instincts manage to extend to every sport because it's a huge wave, despite it's first appearance. You gape a little as Fuji winks and stands up fluidly, in a motion with reveals the strong tennis player underneath the girly appearance. His eyes open as he surfs the wave and he looks like he's in deep concentration to not fall off.

You kind of hope that he will fall off so it doesn't make you as hapless, but you also hope that he won't, because watching that grace was amazing.

You clap a little besides yourself, as he paddles his way back to you. He smirks smugly. "Thank you, Koji."

"Showing off again, Syuu?" you ask, teasingly, as another wave heads in your direction.

"Of course. Shall we both try this one? It looks like a good one." says Fuji and you nod, letting your face fall into its mask of concentration. It's a big one again and you rise cautiously before you're swept up by the wave. You don't know why Fuji has trouble staying upright; once the wave is under you, it's more difficult to resist going along with it. You whoop delightedly as it fades away and both of you are deposited closer to the shore.

Fuji grins at you and you give him a high-five. There's the sound of giggling behind you and there are a bunch of pretty girls laughing and waving at you. On any other occasion, you would have joined them and tried to flirt with them, but now, you just wave back to be polite before turning back to Fuji. "Want to go again?"

Fuji tilts his head sideways. "Sure."

(X)

You're gripping the back of your seat as you watch the match between Fuji and Kirihara and every time Fuji is hit in the knee by Kirihara, you gasp and groan. Bane and Davide look quite amused at your side.

"I've never seen you look so concerned for anybody." Bane says, as Fuji falls forward onto the court and you almost stand up, fists clenched.

"He's my best friend, Bane." You say, and it's true. "I can't bear to watch him get hurt like this."

"You really don't act like it. You act more like my older sister when she's watching her boyfriend play rugby." says Davide rolling his eyes. No puns this time, how odd.

"I'm just worried, okay? The previous guy who played Kirihara, got sent to hospital."

You gasp suddenly as Fuji turns around, from where he fell down. There's a guy with cropped black hair, and you recognize him as Fudoumine's captain. He's shouting something at Fuji who smiles and gets back up. You relax in relief and watch as the game continues. Then you're up on your feet in horror, as Kirihara aims directly at the black-haired captain, who falls over from the shock of the force.

You're shouting in protest and you're vaguely aware of Davide and Bane doing the same besides you, but all you can see is Fuji and his eyes open and cruelly focusing straight down on Kirihara. You wince slightly and sit back down. Davide and Bane throw you looks of confusion before you nod towards Fuji. "Fuji just got serious. Kirihara's not going to win this."

And you're right. All three triple counters are used, as well as Kirihara's own serve being used against him. You smirk with relief as Fuji comes out of the game and before you know it, you're running towards him.

"Well done, Syuu-kun!" you say, pulling him into a tight hug, which Fuji returns, looking exhausted. "How's your knee?"

"It hurts a little, but it's nothing too serious." he says, his fingers rubbing over a cut on his face from where he'd fallen down on several occasions.

"Is it not?" you ask and he's silent. You roll your eyes.

"Ryuuzaki-sensei," you call and she turns around momentarily. "Can I take Fuji over to the first-aid centre?"

She nods and you grip his hand and pull quite vigourously. You notice that most of Rikkaidai's team are leaving, which is odd, since Singles 1 still has to play, but you don't comment.

"Koji, what's the matter?" asks Fuji, his eyes still closed and his smile angelic.

"Why the hell weren't you serious from the beginning?!" You shout, now that they're out of the earshot of most people. "You scared me so badly! I thought Kirihara would send you to hospital as well!"

"Do you have so little faith in me, Koji?" asks Fuji, frowning a little.

"I knew you'd win, Syuu. At what cost though? I was terrified that you'd do a Tezuka on me." you say, gritting your teeth and shutting your eyes.

"I don't think Seigaku would be able to take it if we lost another player. I wouldn't have done that to our team. Our chances of Nationals would never happen." says Fuji, looking neutral and calm.

You punch the wall beside him and he jumps a little, staring at your hand, which is now cut and scraped and throbbing with pain. "Dammit Fuji, do you ever think about yourself? About how everyone would feel if you got put in hospital? Sure, tennis wouldn't benefit from it, but did you stop to consider that you wouldn't benefit from it either?" you shout, your face twisted up in an anger you haven't felt in years.

He blinks as you close your eyes and take deep breaths. You haven't lost your temper this badly since Fuji left. You're known for being unruffled by anything and eternally casual. You really aren't though. Fuji throws you off in so many ways.

"Koji…" He says, placing his arm on your shoulder. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

You open your eyes and his eyes are open too, his face so very close to yours, so close that you can count his eyelashes. Dammit, you really aren't acting much like a best friend at all. You have an older sister, so you know what this feeling is now, you know exactly what you feel for Fuji now that he's right here and they're mostly alone and you _have_ to see whether what they've been doing for the past few weeks is just teasing or—

You lean forward and kiss him and he's eagerly kissing back. Neither of you are really experienced at this though, beyond flirting and teasing with some girls, and you both collide rather uncomfortably which makes him laugh and you more determined to get this right.

You tilt your head sideways and this time it's less eager and more gentle, softer. You stay like that for a little bit before you sigh. "You want to go see the Sanada-Echizen match, don't you?"

"Yes." Fuji says, his blue eyes piercing and coy. "We have all the time in the world to continue this, after all."

You smile. "We do." And that's enough of a promise for you both to walk back to where the match is taking place.

**AN: Yay, it's over! The monstrosity at almost 9700 words is done! It's a little disjointed, but then, that what long-distance friendships tend to be. I've taken a couple of liberties with names and timelines, but you know, things happen. If you liked it, please take the time to leave some feedback! I'd really appreciated it!**


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